4 Things I'm Not Doing for Pre-School Prep, But Probably Should

Ready as I'll ever beMy two-and-a-half-year-old is starting pre-school this week. He's my baby, and he's heading off on this big boy adventure and I honestly cannot believe it. Mostly because he just seems so little! Not like a kid who can sit in a circle and actually learn. However, I have the utmost confidence in him that he'll be able to chill with the rest of the kids once he's been somewhat tamed by these brave pre-school teachers. I, however, will be doing nothing to help facilitate. At least not according to all of these "how to prepare your child for pre-school" lists.

I mean, really. It's pre-school. They're coloring and singing songs, right? Why must I actually prep that kid, when we we could just hang out and enjoy these last moments of babyhood together?

Here are four things I won't be doing to get ready for this week.

1. Potty Training

Believe me, we try. But actually having this kid ready to go in a week? That is not gonna' happen. Luckily we're at one of those developmental schools where they let them go at their own pace. I just hope they understand my kid has a very specific pace: slow.

2. Implementing a Goodbye Routine

I don't even really know what this means. But I do know the advice is to say goodbye lovingly, but firmly. Don't linger or be too clingy. Practice leaving and returning. Honestly, my kid would wonder what the heck I was doing hiding outside the front door if we played this game. He'll get used to it -- starting this week.

3. Telling Him What to Expect

How much can a toddler remember when he hasn't even been inside the school? If I start describing the art studio and telling him he's going to have crayons and paints, he'll have no frame of reference and wonder why I keep going on and on about his colors. Telling him he's starting pre-school is like telling him we're going to the moon. The kid has no clue, and there's really nothing I can tell him that will make him understand until he's right in the middle of the classroom.

4. Reading to Him

We already do this, and don't need to be told to do so. Do people actually not read to their kids? How is that possible?

Maybe I'm doing my kid a disservice by not going through all the pre-school prep, but honestly this is pre-school and he's two. It's not like he's heading off to Harvard. Excuse me while we go enjoy some popsicles before the big day.